Chase in Shadow by Amy Lane

Chase Summers: Golden boy. Beautiful girlfriend, good friends, and a promising future. Nobody knows the real Chase. Chase Summers has a razor blade to his wrist and the smell of his lover's goodbye clinging to his skin. He has a door in his heart so frightening he'd rather die than open it, and the lies he's used to block it shut are thinning with every forbidden touch. Chase has spent his entire life unraveling, and his decision to set his sexuality free in secret has only torn his mind apart faster. Chase has one chance for true love and salvation. He may have met Tommy Halloran in the world of gay-for-pay-where the number of lovers doesn't matter as long as the come-shot's good-but if he wants the healing that Tommy's love has to offer, he'll need the courage to leave the shadows for the sunlight. That may be too much to ask from a man who's spent his entire life hiding his true self. Chase knows all too well that the only things thriving in a heart's darkness are the bitter personal demons that love to watch us bleed.


5/5 stars

When I first started reading this I was sure I wasn't going to like it (even though it's by the fabulous Amy Lane) because a huge part of the story is about cheating. But really in this instance I think to really understand Chase and his struggles there had to be that story line. Poor Chase was such a troubled man that knew what he really wanted , but was sure he couldn't have it. When he takes such drastic measures to "fix" his life I began to see a man who was so upset with his choices in life that he'd rather slit his wrist then own up to anything. The last 1/3 of the book was so heart-wrenching it made me tear up in quite a few places. The strength he gets from Tommy was a beautiful thing to read. Once I finished I went back and reread the first chapter and realized once again what a wonderful writer Ms. Lane truly is. I think anyone who loves romance will love this book. Hopefully some of the other guys in this book will also get a HEA. They deserve it and I definitely want to read about it!